Oh the joy of returning to the hotel room after  a rainy day and not having to pack up tonight.  Yes - we will be in Florence (Firenzi) two more nights!  

We are in a youth hostel here which is a good learning experience for the students.   Accomodations are more spartan but clean,   lt was noisy last night but is already quieter tonight.  

Breakfast in a hostel with 200 plus kids is an experience in hearing languages, different hair and clothing styles and the simple good breakfast.   Today it rained off and on all day.  We got wet - we didn't care too much.

We walked to the Gallerie - where Michaelangelo's David is on display with many plaster casts of other statues.   They use the plaster casts to provide the model for the marble.   There were many other paintings - some dating back to 1272!    An interesting painting to me was David playing his harp to soothe King Saul  - in clothing which was not the norm of the day :)   Another was a picture of the beggar asking Paul for money but being healed instead.  Interestingly it was commissioned by the Medici family and so the people standing around in the picture was the Medici family!   How to put yourself into history.

We split up for lunch  - I personally enjoyed a truffle sauce on ravioli with mushrooms - delish!   Others enjoyed pizza, pasta or hamburgers.   Some kids went back to the Hostel to rest while others toured the Duome  (the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world)  and walked to the Ponte Vecchio  (the upper passage way was for the royal family to walk to church without mingling with the peasants)  and the square where the David replica stands with others.   You will see a group of fun pictures in front of the statues  - our kids trying to do statue poses - then funny faces!  

After that we split for more individual shopping, sight seeing and gelato tasting!!!!!   Wandering around the old city with the rock brick streets and quaint buildings is a delight in and of itself.  

OUr day ended with a  group meal in a little restaurant on one of the squares.   The two choices were mushroom risotto or pasta with tomato sauce.   Each had bruschetta and we finished off with some excellent Tiramisu - best I have ever tasted!


Tomorrow we will be going to the large Art gallery here in town.  then we will eat lunch and go to the market area together.   After that we will enjoy the city a little more and meet for supper.  Friday morning we are off early to Rome!  

Everyone is doing well - lots of colds and sore throats and it is supposed to rain for a few more days - but nothing that isn't manageable !   See you Sunday night!